At the start of lockdown, the horror stories did the rounds: shirtless man joins 200-person Zoom call! Woman forgets to turn off camera, and takes a dump in front of colleagues! Jim picks his nose repeatedly while his 30 students watch in horror!
These viral stories — I’ll admit, I did click, and I did giggle — are enough to give anyone more than a little stage fright when it comes to making video calls.
There was once a time I’d glance in the mirror before every meeting, searching for stray boogers or missing teeth. I’d click “join meeting” in fear that the blood stains on my walls would be in frame. But my fears are now long gone — thanks to technology.
The Hand Mirror app sits at the top menu bar of your Mac, and with one click shows you a livestream from your camera. Click it again, and it turns off.
There are also a few simple customizations you can change in Preferences, including the Menu bar icon, the pop up size, and how to close the app. You can also give it a try before you download here.
Is it kinda the same as using Photo Booth? Sure. It’s not wildly sophisticated or cutting edge, and it’s not even that new — but it’s free, simple, useful, and ensures you don’t get caught with egg on your face.